Overview: David Strathairn was one of several noted actors who took part in live broadcast readings for NPR in the Selected Shorts Celebrates Great American Writers. David read several stories, including "The Muse's Tragedy" by Edith Wharton (on July 9 at 4 p.m.) and "Polo Grounds" by Rolphe Humphries (on July 10 at 2 p.m.) "Polo Grounds" was read as a part of that day's Baseball anthology, in which several other baseball-related stories and poems were read. The presentations were a collaboration with Symphony Space and the Library of America. David has done several readings for the renowned Symphony Space over the last several years. More on the pieces David read can be found below:

• "The Muse's Tragedy" by Edith Wharton
Synopsis: A tragedy about a woman who has compromised almost every aspect of her life in order to continue living with a ghost of her past, which essentially turns out to be a ghost of her own imagination.
Click to read the story

• "Polo Grounds" by Rolphe Humphries
Synopsis: Written in 1942 after a ball park called the Polo Grounds, this poem talks about a game between two baseball teams (the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers) and how life goes on in its seemingly set pattern while the individual experiences life changes.
Click to read the poem

Related Links:
The Mount (off site)
WNYC: Selected Shorts (off site)
Symphony Space (off site)
Library of America (off site)